1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to equipment for assisting physically impaired persons to bathe with little discomfort, and more particularly to a bathing appliance for the handicapped that can seat and support a person safely when entering, leaving or bathing in a shower stall or bathtub.
2. Description of the Known Art
There is a great, current awareness now on the part of the public concerning the special needs of physically handicapped persons. Widespread recognition of the need to accommodate the handicapped and to provide them with appropriate means for enjoying a modern lifestyle, resulted in passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, Public Law 101-336.
Public and commercial buildings intended to accommodate large groups of persons, e.g., schools, office buildings, restaurants, hotels, motels and lodges; must allow the handicapped including wheelchair-bound persons equal access to all available facilities. Specially equipped elevators, low-level water fountains, and rest rooms with fixtures designed to accommodate the wheelchair-bound person, are examples of how previously ignored needs of the disabled are now being served.
Persons confined to wheelchairs, whether at home or in a lodging facility, must of course wash and bathe themselves on a regular basis. Thorough body cleansing requires an individual either to stand inside a shower stall or to be seated in a bathtub. Understandably, it may be difficult if not impossible for a wheelchair-bound person to position himself or herself within the confines of a bathing enclosure without being physically supported by another individual. Accordingly, a disabled person may be reluctant to travel away from home for long periods of time unless in the company of a close companion.
Equipment is known that is intended to allow a physically impaired person to be seated and to swing over a fixed arc into and out of a bathtub/shower-stall unit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,550 issued Dec. 16, 1986, discloses shower chair apparatus including a stabilizer bar that rests horizontally on a bathroom floor just outside a bathtub enclosure. A vertical post extending upward from the bar forms a swivel axis for a support arm of the chair. Installation of the apparatus of the '550 patent requires the use of bumper pads to clamp the apparatus on the outside wall of the bathtub/shower stall unit, for steady bracing of the chair.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,418 (Mar. 29, 1988) shows bathing apparatus for assisting the handicapped, including a stanchion post that extends vertically from the floor to the ceiling, outside of a bathtub. The frame of a seat assembly is pivoted to the post. U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,327 (Mar. 6, 1990) also discloses a vertical support column running from the floor to the ceiling outside and next to a bathtub. The column supports a seat that can be elevated and swiveled with respect to the column.